Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 43

Devanagari script

कंदुकेश्वर नामापि श्रुत्वा वृजिनसंततिः । क्षिप्रं क्षयमवाप्नोति तमः प्राप्योष्णगुं यथा

Transliteration

kaṃdukeśvara nāmāpi śrutvā vṛjinasaṃtatiḥ | kṣipraṃ kṣayamavāpnoti tamaḥ prāpyoṣṇaguṃ yathā

Translation

‘கந்துகேஸ்வர’ என்ற நாமத்தை மட்டும் கேட்டால்கூட, பாவங்களின் தொடர்ச்சி விரைவில் அழிகிறது—வெப்பமும் ஒளியும் சேர்ந்தவுடன் இருள் மறைவதுபோல்.

Word by Word

• कंदुकेश्वर: Kandukeśvara
• कंदुकेश्वर: Sambandha (Name/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कंदुक + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः; संबोधनार्थं नाम-विशेषणवत्

• नाम: name
• नाम: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपेक्षा-अव्यय (also/even)

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त—क्त्वा-प्रत्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• वृजिनसंततिः: the succession/stream of sin
• वृजिनसंततिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृजिन + संतति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (वृजिनस्य संततिः)

• क्षिप्रम्: quickly
• क्षिप्रम्: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्षिप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb)

• क्षयम्: destruction
• क्षयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• अवाप्नोति: attains
• अवाप्नोति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव + आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदम्

• तमः: darkness
• तमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• प्राप्य: having reached
• प्राप्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + आप् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त—ल्यप्/क्त्वा-अर्थे अव्ययभाव (absolutive)

• उष्णगुम्: heat/sunlight (the heat-giver)
• उष्णगुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उष्णगु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; ‘उष्णगु’ = सूर्यकिरण/उष्णता-प्रद वस्तु (contextual)

• यथा: just as
• यथा: Sambandha (Comparison/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमान-अव्यय (comparative particle: as/just as)

Speaker

Narrative voice (contextually Skanda in Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogue)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kandukeśvara (nāma-māhātmya)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇa interlocutor

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A listener hears ‘Kandukeśvara’ from a sage; a dark chain symbolizing sin snaps and dissolves as a sunlike warmth and light spreads, echoing the simile of darkness vanishing before heat and radiance.

Characters & Entities

• Kandukeśvara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine names are purifying in themselves; remembrance and hearing can uproot long-standing sin-impressions.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kandukeśvara in Kāśī, whose very name is proclaimed as purificatory.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Nāma-śravaṇa—hearing (and by extension repeating) the sacred name Kandukeśvara.